To begin the 2010 season the Packers went to Philadelphia and came out victorious 27-20. The Packers did this with amazing play by outside linebacker Clay Matthews (+10.0) who had one of the best games we’ve seen by an outside linebacker this season. He had six pressures, one hit and three sacks, and was the difference in an otherwise even game.
This game saw the beginning of the Michael Vick (+5.1) Era in Philadelphia. Kevin Kolb (-4.0) started the game, and in 13 dropbacks had only two completions where he threw the ball past the line of scrimmage and was sacked three times. Vick on the other hand had a great performance with 7.3 yards per passing attempt and 103 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
PACKERS OFFENSE
Green Bay plays a mix of zone- and man-blocking schemes with their offensive line, depending on the play call. The Packers spread the field as much as any team in the league, lining up in multiple-receiver sets and splitting tight ends out wide in the formation, seemingly with no regard to injury and personnel problems they might have. Few teams go empty in the backfield as much as the Packers, and they will force you to cover with sub-package players you might try to protect otherwise.
PACKERS DEFENSE
The Packers have been struggling with injuries, and they are heavily reliant on star OLB Clay Matthews for pressure. Matthews began the season on fire but an injury problem half way through the year has limited his effectiveness down the stretch. If he can play something like his best they become a much more formidable unit. They still like to run a lot of man coverage, especially on the outside with their corners, and they are quick to move into nickel sub-packages. When the Packers go to nickel, CB Charles Woodson moves inside to cover the slot receiver, which allows him to be around the ball as much as possible and also keeps their outside corners in comfortable positions. Woodson’s proximity to the ball in nickel situations also allows them send him on blitzes, something the Eagles should be very conscious of given how badly they struggled to pick up Antoine Winfield of the Vikings in the same situation.
EAGLES OFFENSE
On offense the staple is the inside zone blocking scheme the Eagles use heavily in the run game. They run in theory a variant of the West Coast Offense, only with possibly the most unique set of personnel ever asked to operate it. QB Michael Vick and WR DeSean Jackson in particular bring an unconventional quality to the Eagles' version of the West Coast offense, given that neither is at their best on quick, short passing routes that the offense is famous for. Jackson operates primarily deep, and when he is given a free release and allowed to run he can be lethal. Vick provides unique problems for a D, because he can evade pressure like no other quarterback, and might be more dangerous when he is pressured.
EAGLES DEFENSE
On defense, the Eagles are huge fans of the zone blitz, sending linebackers and dropping athletic linemen into coverage to confuse the protection scheme and the passer into making mistakes, as well as leave a free rusher. On the back end, they run the full spectrum of coverages. SS Quintin Mikell is equally adept deep in a Cover-2 shell as he is in the box, making a nuisance of himself as a blitzer or against the run and leaving the Eagles to change up between Cover-1 and Cover-3 behind him. The name of the game for the Eagles is to bring pressure and ensure that an offense can't predict where it comes from.
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT
C.J. Wilson made an impact on the Packer D-line rotation in December. … The Packers' John Kuhn has been at his best of late … Nick Collins has saved his best for last, although he's been pretty solid all season. … For the Eagles, rookie safety Kurt Coleman had really nice performances in Week 15 and 16 and could be a factor today.
Leading the cold list is Bryan Bulaga, who has been playing poorly enough to impact the final score of late. He's -3.9, -4.3, -2.2 and -1.5 the last four weeks. … Donald Driver has also been off the last month. … CB Dimitri Patterson had a good game in the finale, but was absolutely a liability the four weeks previous. … Trent Cole had three of his four worst games of the year down the stretch and needs to pick it back up. … Center Mike McGlynn hasn't had a good game in the second half of the season.
NOTES
While unheralded Packer Erik Walden had two sacks and nine stops in the finale vs. Chicago, he actually graded -2.2 in the run game that day thanks to mistakes that didn't show on the stat sheet. … The Packers' special teams haven't been a complete liability, but they do grade No. 29 overall. … Penalties should be in the Packers' favor, even in Philly. The Eagles have been whistled 118 times, the Packers 74. … Green Bay still misses Jermichael Finley. He was +5.5 in the passing game in his limited time; the other three tight ends are -1.9, and offer nothing as blockers. … The Eagles have our No. 1 4-3 DE (Cole) and safety (Mikell).
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.